adsm08's Ranger build up

Project: Hillbilly Deluxe

Well, unfortunately I don't at this moment have a before pic of my truck. Also don't have many pics of the work I've done so far, but I guess it might just be time to start my build thread.

I know what I want to do, but a lot of you guys have played with this stuff already and already know how some of these things will affect it better than I do, so input and opinions are welcomed.

What I started with:

1987 Ranger XLT super cab, 2.9L FM145, MS BW1350 4x4, manual hubs, vinyl 40/60 split bench.

What I have now:

M5OD, MS BW1354 4x4, one-piece drive-shaft, cloth bucket seats and center console all from a 91 Explorer (except the d-shaft), F-250 roof lights, Midland 5001z CB radio with a 3' Firestik antenna, straight pipes with K-tuned thrush glass pack, Euro style headlights.

EDIT: 2.9L with the most aggressive cam the speed density can handle, WC heads, and a set of headers.

What I want:

4.0L, 8.8 and D-35 upgrades, 4" suspension lift (looking at a rough country setup), 33x12.50x16 BFGs, either A/T of M/T, not sure yet, with 4.11 gears, looking at dual tanks, not sure yet, and a custom fabbed exhaust with dual flowmaster super 44 diamonds and outlets out the back.

For the axles, I was planning to leave the front end open, and grab a Ranger rear end that's been blown up and dump 31 spline Explorer guts in it with a selectable locker for the back. Unless I find an EB 9 inch that is.

I plan for this to be my DD, but I also don't plan to have to drive all that far to work and I don't really plan to use it for anything but driving to work and hitting some trails here and there.

So, thoughts, opinions, advice? I'll get some pics up as soon as I can get them. I also plan on making myself a custom shifter out of a 4.0 piston. I'll be sure to take some pics of that as I do it and get them in here.

Oh also, once she is all done, in the center of the tailgate's black painted section I'm going to either air brush with a stencil, or pin-stripe by hand, "Hillbilly Deluxe" in white.

Got the piston for my custom shifter today.



You can see its dirty, and has been used, but the metal looks good, no major carbon deposits, so it shouldn't be hard to clean up.

I'll let it sit in some gas for a day or so and post a new picture after clean up. Then to get it painted up and welded at the angle I want.

Ok, so after letting it sit in a mix of gas, ATF, and Lucas fuel additive for about a week and then half an hour with a wire scrub brush it looks much better.

Also go it marked out where I want to get it welded in place and get the rod cut off.





Now I just need some paint and an air brush...

Thinkin' about these rims. Will they fit properly?

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Wheels/A...0&t_pt=101002&t_pl=101316&t_pn=W/PAX398589582

Figured I'd chime in on your build thread here... You should totally get a pic of your truck up.

Sounds like what I plan to do with my 84 pretty much, except I plan to paint it eventually... get rid of the rust.

The piston shifter seems like a cool idea but it seems a little big lol.

And the the link to the rims won't fit cause its the wrong bolt pattern and they are 18's which would be dumb... but I think they do have 15x8 in a 5 on 4.5 that would work unless you wanted 18's in which case they still might...

you should use a 7.3 powerstroke piston haha

the next time you want to clean a part like that, get a old crockpot, fill it with antifreeze, and let it boil over night, be warn though, do this in a well ventilated place, the fumes are deadly, take the parts out while hot, and they will look new, when I was flying r/c planes, this was the best way to clean the little nitro motors before a rebuild, oh and DON'T use the crockpot for food stuff after this.

Robert

this is also a good way to get paint off of items too.

Thats going to be a huge shift knob. How do you plan on welding the aluminum to the wrist pin?

I used a push mower piston on my trans shifter and a chainsaw piston on my tcase. I just tapped the wrist pin hole out to except a set screw. Then I cut the wrist pin in half and cut a V in the end and stuck it into the other side of the piston to center the piston on the shifter shaft.

-PlumCrazy

It is a big shifter, but it cleaned up really nice. I got a guy here at school in the manufacturing or construction (don't remember which) program to weld it up for me in his welding class. The weld doesn't look to pretty, but you won't really be able to see it once it's in.

Those rims do come in a 16x8 5 on 4.5, that was just the wrong link.

I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna attach the piston to the lever.

Might be getting me some nice 3.27 axles in a few weeks here

Here is the truck as she sits now:


A nice night pic with the cab lights on:


And here is my oh-so-comfy 91 Ex front seat setup


Just gotta get the shifter bezel and center console screwed down.

one of these days she is gonna get all the dents, dings, and rust out and some new paint.

adsm08 said:

Might be getting me some nice 3.27 axles in a few weeks here

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3.27's? What gears do you have now? My truck came with 3.27's and it sucked.

-PlumCrazy

I have 3.45s now. I do not plan to keep the 3.27s, one of these days (year or two out yet) I'll be getting my lift and my 33's and I'll wave my magic wrench and those 3.27s will change themselves into 4.10s.

I don't need higher rear end gears, the 4.0 tranny gives me enough trouble on the highway as it is, both with 3rd gear accel, and then the higher OD gear means that instead of cruising at 65 at 1/4 throttle it's now more like 75 or 80.

I'm more excited about actually finding a complete d-35 and 8.8 that I can afford.

take one of those wire wheel brushes that attaches to a drill and clean up the piston with that. i've been cleaning up the block of my 2.9 with one and it works great. cool idea for a shifter btw

88_Eddie said:

take one of those wire wheel brushes that attaches to a drill and clean up the piston with that. i've been cleaning up the block of my 2.9 with one and it works great. cool idea for a shifter btw

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll give that a try. I'm also gonna get it painted up nice. I have a design for the head that I'll post up in a bit when I get done with my HW and get back from the store.

Here is a rough sketch (in color) of how I want my new shifter to look when its done. I'll probably put 4.0 or Hillbilly Deluxe or both on the skirts.


For attaching it I was thinking about drilling and tapping a hole in the shift lever then running a threaded rod into it and JB-welding the other end into the connecting rod.

I can be sure to line it up how I want it but still make it so it threads on and off so it can be easily removed.

Painted the piston up:




Don't it just look purdy.